Damp Earth!

Sierra Nevada Ensatina - Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis

In the past two weeks, we got more rain, snow, and cold weather, followed by hot and sunny days with temperatures in the 70's!!! Pretty crazy, but we're not complaining as everything is green, lush, and damp, the perfect conditions for many plants and animals to thrive!  

Fallen, Damp, Dead Trees house many Critters!

Sierra Nevada Ensatina

These past few months I've renewed my interest in what lives under the bark of trees. I'm always very careful to lift off the bark without crushing a critter, and always carefully put it back. To my delight, during this past winter and early spring, the damp bark and tree trunks I investigated were housing a wide variety of critters!  One afternoon, under a piece of thick Ponderosa Pine bark that was lying on the ground, I found a tiny Sierra Nevada Ensatina!!! WOW! The last time I saw one of these was 35 years ago. How lucky to find one again! What a little BEAUTY! It was so colorfully marked with orange patches and a galaxy of tiny white dots! Since it didn't have orange blotches on its back, I'm pretty sure that it was a juvenile!

Sierra Nevada Ensatina - Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis

They are fascinating, uncommon, tiny creatures that thrive in damp conditions! In brief, they are lungless salamanders that live in damp environments. They do not live in, or lay their eggs in, ponds or streams. They prefer to be under damp, moist forest litter, logs, or bark. In the hot and dry months of summer, they stay underground. The following information about them is from https://www.californiaherps.com/

"Life History and Behavior"

"A member of family Plethodontidae, the Plethodontid or Lungless Salamanders.

Plethodontid salamanders do not breathe through lungs. They conduct respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth. This requires them to live in damp environments on land and to move about on the ground only during times of high humidity. (Plethodontid salamanders native to California do not inhabit streams or bodies of water but they are capable of surviving for a short time if they fall into water.)

All Plethodontid Salamanders native to California lay eggs in moist places on land.The young develop in the egg and hatch directly into a tiny terrestrial salamander with the same body form as an adult. (They do not hatch in the water and begin their lives as tiny swimming larvae breathing through gills like some other types of salamanders.)

Activity: Ensatina live in relatively cool moist places on land becoming most active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate. They stay underground during hot and dry periods where they are able to tolerate considerable dehydration. They may also continue to feed underground during the summer months. High-altitude populations are also inactive during severe winter cold. Longevity has been estimated at up to 15 years.

Diet and Feeding: Ensatinas eat a wide variety of invertebrates, including worms, ants, beetles, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, sow bugs, and snails. They expel a relatively long sticky tongue from the mouth to capture the prey and pull it back into the mouth where it is crushed and killed, then swallowed. Typically feeding is done using sit-and-wait ambush tactics, but sometimes Ensatinas will slowly stalk their prey.

Reproduction: Reproduction is terrestrial.Mating takes place in Fall and Spring, but may also occur throughout the winter. Stebbins describes an elaborate Ensatina courtship involving the male rubbing his body and head against the female eventually dropping a sperm capsule onto the ground which the female picks up with her cloaca. The female can store the sperm until she determines the time is right to fertilize her eggs. At the end of the rainy season, typically April or May, females retreat to their aestivation site under bark, in rotting logs, or in underground animal burrows, and lay their eggs.

Eggs: Females lay 3 - 25 eggs, with 9 - 16 being average. Females remain with the eggs to guard them until they hatch. In labs, eggs have hatched in 113 - 177 days.

Young: Young develop completely in the egg and probably leave the nesting site with the first saturating Fall rains, or, at higher elevations, after the snow melts.

Habitat: Inhabits moist shaded evergreen and deciduous forests and oak woodlands. Found under rocks, logs, other debris, especially bark that has peeled off and fallen beside logs and trees. Most common where there is a lot of coarse woody debris on the forest floor. In dry or very cold weather, stays inside moist logs, animal burrows, under roots, wood rat nests, under rocks."

Young Stone Centipede - Feather Millipede - Slug

Lithobiomorpha sp. - Brachycybe lecontii - Gastropoda

Underneath the bark of many fallen Ponderosa Pine Trees I almost always saw Stone Centipedes and Brachycybe Feather Millipedes. I also occasionally came across tiny slugs

Stone Centipedes

I mainly saw young Stone Centipedes, but I also came across a few mature adults. The following information about centipedes is from the website bugguide.org.

"Antennae large; one pair of legs per body segment (15-191 pairs, always an odd number); hind legs extend backwards. All possess “poison claws” (prehensors, forcipules) under the head.

This group has lost the compound eyes, and sometimes has no eyes altogether. Instead, its eyes have a single ocellus or a group of ocelli (simple eyes without retinas).

Although they have previously been regarded as wholly carnivorous, feeding primarily on insects but also occasionally slugs and worms, they have been proven to feed on leaf litter, as well as associated small animals."

Brachycybe Feather Millipedes

These millipedes are quite small, 1/2" -3/4" in length, and have no eyes! They live in large colonies of up to a hundred individuals, mainly in rotten logs. The following edited information about them is from https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/50770/

"Brachycybe lecontii can be found in mesic temperate deciduous forests on decaying logs in groups of up to a hundred individuals of multiple generations. They are frequently found in close proximity to fungus and are assumed to feed on the fungal tissue decomposing organic matter such as dead plant material and leaf litter.

An exceptional aspect of Brachycybe millipedes is that they display similar types of social behaviour and occur in persistent colonies of individuals with overlapping generations. Sociality is variously defined as the organisms having one or more of the following characteristics: (1) division of labour with a caste system composed of reproductive and non-reproductive members, (2) cooperation in caring for the young (Only males care for the eggs and subsequent care of juveniles has not been observed.), (3) a shared nest or aggregation space and (4) overlapping generations." 

Slugs

 

I only saw saw two different half-inch slugs in my tree bark/ fallen log investigations. The following information about slugs is from the website https://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/database/gardening/slugs.php.

"Slugs and snails are terrestrial gastropods. They need a cool, moist environment. Slugs are active when the temperature is between 38° and 88°F, the relative humidity is high and there is little to no wind. Slugs have a reduced shell and are unprotected, soft bodied and susceptible to drying out. For these reasons, they are most active above ground during the night, when temperatures are cooler and the humidity is higher. 

Slugs overwinter as adults by hibernating in the topsoil or as eggs. They move by a single muscular foot that secretes a fluid to help in movement. When the fluid dries out it leaves a silvery, slimy trail. If the surroundings are cool and moist, a slug may regularly travel the same route between its shelter and food source.

An individual slug has both male and female reproductive capability. Any slug is capable of laying eggs and producing young slugs after fertilization. Slugs deposit clusters of small, translucent or pearly white eggs that are laid under boards, pots, along edges of garden beds, in soil crevices or other cool, moist shelters. The presence of many small juvenile slugs may indicate a birthing location. Slugs most often lay eggs at the start of late-summer rains, although some slugs lay eggs in early spring.

Their mouth has a rasplike organ that cuts away tender, succulent plant tissue. They typically feed on the soft leaf tissue between leaf veins. Slugs, unlike snails, spend considerable time underground and feed on underground plant parts. Underground slug damage is evident by small, shallow pits on roots and tubers."

Northwestern Fence Lizards - Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis

Northwestern Fence Lizards

To my complete surprise, I came across five different Western Fence Lizards under pine tree bark in the past month. I had no idea that they overwintered under tree bark! I had always pictured them under logs, or under leaf litter on the forest floor! These two I found a month ago, and it was too cold for them to move. I CAREFULLY placed the bark back over them, without squishing them.

The following information about Western Fence Lizards is from https://californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.o.occidentalis.html

"Life History and Behavior"

"Activity:  Diurnal. Often seen basking in the sun on rocks, downed logs, trees, fences, and walls. Prefers open sunny areas. Active when temperatures are warm, becomes inactive during periods of extreme heat or cold, when they shelter in crevices and burrows, or under rocks, boards, tree bark, etc. Common and easily encountered in the right habitat. This is probably the species of lizard most often seen in the state due to its abundance in and near populated areas and its conspicuous behavior.

Territoriality:  Males establish and defend a territory containing elevated perches where they can observe mates and potential rival males. Males defend their territory and try to attract females with head-bobbing and a push-up display that exposes the blue throat and ventral colors. Territories are ultimately defended by physical combat with other males.

Defense: The tail can break off easily, but it will grow back. The detached tail wriggles on the ground which can distract a predator from the body of the lizard allowing it time to escape.

Diet and Feeding: Eats small, mostly terrestrial, invertebrates such as crickets, spiders, ticks, and scorpions, and occasionally eats small lizards including its own species.

Reproduction: Adults breed in the spring of their second year. Courtship and mating take place from late April to early June. Egg laying occurs 2 - 4 weeks after copulation, usually from June to July. Females lay 1-3 clutches of 3 - 17 eggs (averaging 8) in a season. Females dig small pits in loose damp soil (often at night) where they lay the eggs. Eggs have white leathery shells and measure 8 by 14 mm. Eggs hatch in about 60 days, usually from July to September."

Adult Stone Centipede - Slug - Millipede

Lithobiomorpha - Gastropoda - Tylobolus castaneus

Millipedes

I never saw groups of these Milliipedes, always just one by itself. (I apologize but I inadvertently erased the source of the information below, and can't find it again.)

"Milliipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterized by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda. Most millipedes are slow-moving detritivores, eating decaying leaves and other dead plant matter; however, some eat fungi or drink plant fluid. 

Most millipedes defend themselves with a variety of chemicals secreted from pores along the body. Its primary defense mechanism is to curl into a tight coil, thereby protecting its legs and other vital delicate areas on the body behind a hard exoskeleton. Reproduction in most species is carried out by modified male legs called gonopods, which transfer packets of sperm to females."

 

This additional info on millipedes is from bugguide.net.

"Habitat: Moist habitats under rocks, rotting logs, organic debris, etc.

Food: usually decaying plant material; a few spp. occasionally carnivorous. Some may feed on living plant tissue.

Life Cycle: Millipedes hatch with 3 pairs of legs, and add segments/legs as they molt; some live up to 7 years.

Remarks: To protect themselves, millipedes coil or roll into a ball; many emit poisonous (e.g., cyanide-containing) or foul substances (e.g., benzoquinones)

"Millipedes lack the structures to bite, pinch, or sting, and are harmless to humans, although the defensive secretions burn if they get into the eyes. Millipedes are non-toxic to humans and can be picked up by hand. Some secretions discolor the skin, with no lasting effects. Some large, cylindrical, tropical species squirt defensive secretions up to a half meter and can blind chickens and dogs." ‒Rowland Shelley"

Nevada Dampwood Termites (workers and soldier) - Zootermopsis nevadensis

Nevada Dampwood Termites

In several of the dead logs I investigated there were colonies of termites!  I didn't know that they form colonies with workers, soldiers, kings and queens! The type in our area are Nevada Dampwood Termites. The following information about them is from https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Termites.

"Termites obtain nutrients from wood and plant materials, but they can’t digest their food on their own. Instead they have symbiotic protozoa and bacteria in their guts to break down the tough plant fibers.

Something all termite species share is a caste system. At the lowest level are the workers. These termites are sexually and developmentally immature. Workers take part in building out the nest, locating food, and caring for young. Soldiers are the next step up in the caste system. Like workers, they are immature in form, but in some species, they have well-developed mandibles for defense. Then there are the reproductives (also called alates), winged males and females that are the product of mature colonies. Alates swarm in warm weather and form pairs of males and females. These “primary reproductives” lose their wings and become kings and queens of new colonies.

Dampwood termites also require moisture and move from rotting tree stumps and logs across the forest floor."

Sierra Nevada Ensatina - Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis

Well that was a TON of information about little, damp-wood dwelling critters!  Hope you enjoyed it! If you go out investigating on your own, be sure to be mindful of the critters under the wood as you remove and replace it. Thanks!

In my next blog, I'll discuss the plants that thrive in damp, wet, weather!

Also...

What's happening on the river?

Where are all the mammals?

Check back in two weeks for the answers to these questions and more!

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks from now on. Check back in two weeks, on April, 12th for my next natural history blog.

Also, check out my latest post on my newly re-opened Damp Earth Blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com

Late Winter - Early Spring

Grizzly Peak 3/14/25

In the last two weeks we've had both snowy and sunny weather!  The sunny days were quite warm with highs in the 60's! The snowy days were in the 30's, with mixed rain and snow showers. The total amount of precipitation over the past two weeks was approximately 6"! The most snow we had on the ground was around 5". The higher elevations got a lot more snow, and now have a much better snowpack.

Grizzly Peak earlier this week

Visible from our neighborhood, Grizzly Peak is at 4,596' in elevation.  This photo shows how the snow level usually stayed fairly high. Down at our elevation, 2,674', not a lot of snow stayed around, and usually melted within a day. The last day of the storm was an exception. It and had colder temps and droppped approximately 7" of snow at our doorstep!

Pitman Road - Spenceville Wildlife Preserve

Back down in the Blue Oak Woodlands!

On the sunny days, I managed to go hiking down in the Spenceville Wilderness Preserve twice! It was gloriously green and beautiful once again!

Coyote (Canis latrans)

 

On one of the hikes, to our complete surprise, two Coyotes bolted out of an oak woodland and ran up a sunny slope!!! The one in the lead briefly turned back to check on the other fox, possibly its mate, when I got this photo! This all happened in a less than 10 seconds, and then they were gone! WOW!!! How lucky we were to see them! I've never seen them here before! The following information about Coyotes is from the Friends of Spenceville website at http://spenceville.org.

"Though the coyote resembles a collie-sized dog, it moves across the hillsides with an independence and grace that clearly identifies it as wild. The valley subspecies coyote differs from the mountain coyote in that it is smaller and has a lighter buff-gray to rusty fur color. For shelter, it finds a natural den, enlarges a rodent burrow or digs its own hole. It gives birth in spring or early-summer to 3 to 11 furred young. Both parents feed the pups but by fall they are grown, and the family members scatter to begin life on their own. Coyotes are omnivorous, eating manzanita berries, and other plants, various rodents, including mice, gophers and squirrels, an occasional bird, or even deer killed by a mountain lion. This wide range of diet, their lack of predators and their wily adaptability have made them one of the few animals to increase in number and extend their range, in spite of western man's attempt to eradicate them."

Coyote - Canis latrans

Coyotes are native to California. The California Department of Fish and Game estimates a population range of 250,000 to 750,000 individuals. Coyotes are very adaptable and inhabit most areas of the state, including the desert. Coyotes are most active at night and during the early morning and late evening hours. In areas where they are not disturbed by human activities and during the cooler times of the year, they may be active throughout the day.

Blue Oak Woodland

There are lots of other critters that inhabit the Blue Oak Woodlands, such as Bobcats, Gray Foxes, Long-tailed Weasels, Raccoons, Squirrels, Skunks, and Ringtails, as well as a large variety of birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians. The following information about them is from the Friends of Spenceville website at http://spenceville.org

"Surveys that have been conducted at Spenceville Wildlife Area (SWA) document the presence of 42 mammals, 160 birds, 12 reptiles, 4 amphibians, and 20 fishes including lamprey and crayfish (Rogers et al. 1996). Most of these species are permanent residents, but some are seasonal migrators such as anadromous fish and various birds including 26 as neotropical species (Rogers et al. 1996).

Of the 43 mammals at SWA, 9 are carnivora. The river otter has been documented in the last 2 years. The Columbian black-tailed deer population is estimated at 150-220 animals and wild pigs occur occasionally (Rogers et al. 1996). Seventeen rodent species are residents of the wildlife area, the black-tailed jackrabbit the most common. Ten species of bats also reside and 2 of those species Townsend's big-eared bat and the pallid bat, are Species of Special Concern (Rogers et al. 1996). 

The Pacific tree frog is the most common amphibian of SWA.

Spenceville Wildlife Area has a very diverse reptile population. The Western pond turtle is a Species of Special concern and is common to the reserve. Gopher snakes and rattlesnakes are the most commonly observed snakes (Rogers et al. 1996).

The primary fishery resource of the SWA are largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, redear sunfish, and channel catfish. Brown and rainbow trout occur in colder habitats along Dry Creek although they are not numerous. Fall chinook salmon and steelhead are also present in Dry Creek (Rogers 1997) entering by ladder over a small dam on Beale Air Force Base, and salmon fry have been stocked in Dry Creek in recent years (Rogers et al. 1996). The passage of Anadromous fish into Dry Creek depends on adequate water flows existent when adult fish are present and migrating (Rogers et al. 1996)."

Western Yellow-bellied Racer - Coluber constrictor mormon

 Although we saw lots of birds, the only other critter we saw was a Western Yellow-bellied Racer!  It was a fast mover and quite long!  I barely got a photo as it slipped through the grasses. The following information about them is from www.californiaherps.org.

"Diurnal, often seen actively foraging in the daytime with head and forward part of the body held up off the ground searching for prey with its acute vision. Climbs vegetation and seeks shelter in burrows, rocks, or woody debris. Very fast-moving and alert, quickly fleeing when threatened, this snake is difficult to get close to.

Eats lizards, small rodents, small birds, frogs, salamanders, small snakes. Lays eggs in late spring or early summer which hatch in two to three months."

Bedrock Mortar Site

 

We were privileged to be lead to two bedrock mortar sites within the preserve, by local writer, historian, and friend, Hank Meals! The following information about the local Nisenan People is from Hank's blog at https://yubatreadhead.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-spenceville-wildlife-area-rolling.html

"THE NATIVE NISENAN PEOPLE"

"The Spenceville area has a rich history that begins thousands of years before the Spanish, Mexicans and European gold seekers arrived. Bedrock mortars for pounding acorns and other foods are plentiful especially near springs and streams and they are a visible legacy of the Nisenan people who have lived here for at least 1,500 years. By the time of European contact, acorns and pine nuts were a major part of the Nisenan diet. They manipulated the environment by frequently burning the landscape to improve the gathering of acorns, to facilitate collection of grass seeds, to stimulate growth of shoots used for basketry, to clear brush for hunting and to create nutritious browse for deer. These deliberate fires helped maintain open oak savannas where succession would have led to coniferous forest.

The Nisenan interacted with the largest oaks and sustained an intimate relationship with them for centuries. They were aware that they provided sustenance, shade and continuity for generations. Ancient oaks were living monuments that witnessed the history of the indigenous people unfold. Generations of Nisenan met in the shade and splendor of special oak trees. To the colonizers, these gigantic oaks were viewed simply as trees without any inherent wisdom. With the commoditization of oak trees, not only did their importance as food decrease, but their spiritual significance to the Nisenan diminished."

Bedrock Mortars and Hank Meals

"Naturally, such reckless damage to the flourishing ecosystem that was their homeland was resented by the Nisenan. The invaders ridiculed the natives, stole from them, abused the women and could be extremely violent. When the Nisenan resisted, the foreigners formed militias and declared war on the natives – their paranoia and hatred was so intense that they petitioned for, and received, a small military garrison called Camp Far West, located a few miles southwest of SWA.

In 1850 the Camp Union Treaty was negotiated with the Nisenan, who by now realized that they were hopelessly outnumbered. This was one of 18 treaties made with California Indians – not one of these treaties was ever ratified (but this is a story for another time). The proposed reservation for the Nisenan included the current SWA."

by Hank Meals ©2018

Tree Swallows - Tachycineta bicolor

We we're thrilled to see several magenta bellied Lewis's Woodpeckers (that I mentioned in my last blog) during the course of the day. A new sighting was a pair of Tree Swallows, that looked like they were indeed establishing a nest in a manmade box!! 

Tree Swallows spend their winters in Baja California, Mexico and Central America.  They return in Spring to breed in California, Oregon, Washington, parts of the North Central U.S., and most of Canada and Alaska. They are cavity nesters, but don't excavate their own cavities. Instead, they nest in old woodpecker nests as well as manmade nest boxes. Their main food is a wide variety of insects. They also seek out calcium rich foods during breeding season, such as bird eggshells, crayfish exoskeletons, fish bones, and clamshells!

The female makes a nest with mainly grasses, lines it with the feathers of other birds, and then lays 4-7 eggs. In California, both the male and female have been known to share the incubation period of 11-20 days. The nestlings fledge in 15-25 days. Fledglings may have poor feeding and flying skills, and receive post-fledgling feedings by parents for several days. However, fledglings are also seen flying and feeding independently of parents soon after they leave the nest.

Double Crested Cormorant

There are several large manmade ponds in the preserve that are maintained for cattle. To my surprise, I spotted a Double-crested Cormorant in one of them! In California, these Cormorants are listed as common inhabitants of the sea coasts and inland waters. The ones seen in California, may live here year-round or perhaps migrate to breeding grounds in north-east California and up into Oregon. They are primarily fish eaters, and are frequently seen diving in pursuit of fish.

Another verdant Blue Oak woodland!

Blooming flowers were still uncommon, but the lush green grass was brilliant!

The Sutter Buttes from Pitman Road

Such Beauty! Can't wait to come back here in a few weeks!

Pipevine in bloom - Aristolochia californica 

South Yuba River State Park

On the way home from Spenceville, we stopped briefly at the South Yuba River State Park to see what was happening. It was indeed starting to bloom! One of my absolute favorite wildflowers are the Pipevines. They are so unusual looking! They have a unique relationship with  Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfiles!

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly - Battus philenor

Here's what I wrote about them in my blog on March 12, 2022.

"The Pipevine or Dutchman's Pipes is one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers. We were lucky to find many of the flowers, being green and brown in color they are somewhat hard to detect! These plants are not carnivorous, but they have an odor that attracts carrion-feeding insects that crawl inside the pipe-shaped flower and pollinate the blossom! Amazing!

We saw several Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies in the park. Just like birds, the blue color in butterflies is from structural coloration not pigment. If the light is right, the hindwings can be a beautiful blue in color! These butterflies are inedible to predators, because they ingest toxic aristolochic acids from their Pipevine host plant when they are caterpillars. These acids stay in their bodies even when they pupate into adults!

After Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies mate, the female lays her eggs (which also contain toxic acids) on the underside of Pipevine leaves. When the caterpillars first hatch, they stay together in small groups and feed on Pipevine leaves. When they grow larger they head out on their own to feed and pupate. It takes approximately one week for a caterpillar to change into an adult and emerge from its chrysalis. The adults usually live for a month, feeding solely on wildflower nectar."

Common Fiddleneck - Red Maids

 Amsinckia menziesii - Calandrinia menziesii

Wildflowers!

Unfortunately the Buttermilk Bar Trail is closed about a half a mile in due to a mudslide. However, there are lots of flowers in bloom already in the open half-mile section. Here are some of the flowers we saw!

Zigzag Larkspur - Delphinium patens

Manroot - Canyon Nemophila

Marah fabacea - Nemophila heterophylla

Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula

What's happening on the River?

Where are all the mammals?

Check back in two weeks for the answers to these questions and more!

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks from now on. Check back in two weeks, on March, 29th for my next natural history blog.

Also, check out my latest post on my newly re-opened Damp Earth Blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com

Down in the Blue Oak Woodlands!

Acorn Woodpecker Granary

Since the weather had been sunny and warm, my friend Nancy and I decided to drive down to the Blue Oak woodlands in the Spenceville Wildlife Preserve.  One of the first wonders we came across was a granary filled-to-the-brim with acorns!!! We had never seen one so full of acorns before! Most of the granaries we have seen in the past were empty, or only had a few acorns in them. This one was packed with them!

Acorns are the main food that Acorn Woodpeckers depend upon in winter. They store acorns by drilling holes in dead tree trunks and putting an acorn in each hole! These acorn filled trunks are called "granaries". Granaries have been known to contain up to 50,000 acorns!

The Cornell website http://birdsoftheworld.org states; "Like several other species in the genus Melanerpes, this woodpecker is a cooperative breeder and lives in family groups of up to a dozen or more individuals. Birds in social units store acorns communally and cooperatively raise young. Although acorns constitute a major portion of the diet, particularly during the winter, this species also engages in a wide variety of other foraging techniques including flycatching, bark-gleaning, seed-eating, and sapsucking."

Acorn Woodpecker (female) - Melanerpes formicivorus

This year was a "bumper crop" year for acorns. There were thousands of them on the ground under the oaks.  In fact, Acorn Woodpeckers prefer to eat flying insects rather than acorns. They store acorns in granaries in case insects become scarce. Male Acorn Woodpeckers also have a red patch on their heads, but it is larger than the female patch and more of a "crown".

Lewis's Woodpecker (adult) - Melanerpes lewis

 

Another woodpecker species that is a winter resident in the Spenceville Wildlife Preserve is the Lewis's Woodpecker. We had our fingers crossed that we would see some, and we lucked out!  In one particular area near a pond, we saw about 7-9 of them flying and perching! What a delight it was to see these beautiful red-faced, magenta-bellied woodpeckers!

 

These birds are unique in several ways. Unlike most woodpeckers, Lewis's Woodpeckers do not drill holes in tree trunks looking for insects. They mainly catch insects in the air during the summer. They will however, glean insects from tree trunks and branches year-round. Fruits and berries are also eaten in season. In the winter, when flying insects are scarce, they mainly eat acorns, nuts, and corn. They usually harvest acorns off the trees, rather than off the ground. They will hammer an acorn open and then store individual pieces (rather than the whole acorn) in the natural crevices of tree trunks. Acorns and nuts are also stored for consumption in winter. These winter caches are vigorously defended!

Lewis's Woodpecker - Melanerpes lewis

They are relatively uncommon in our foothill area, and are not predictably present in winter. In California, they usually nest in the interior coastal range, or the lower eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. Outside of California they breed across Idaho, Montana, Colorado and up into Canada. How lucky we were to see these unusual, beautiful woodpeckers!

Blue Oak Woodland

Rolling hills filled with Blue Oaks define Spenceville. Right now it is greening up and about half of the oaks are leafing out. Such beauty! We heard lots of songbirds while we hiked through the preserve. Here are a few that I was able to photograph!

White-breasted Nuthatch - Bushtit

Sitta carolinensis  - Psaltriparus minimus

We kept hearing a loud repeated call and finally figured out it was the White-breasted Nuthatches! Like the Red-breasted Nuthatches in our area, these little birds climb up and down the trunks and branches of trees, gleaning insects from the surface and crevices. They will also eat acorns, by wedging them into a tree crevice and then hammering them to open them up! They usually reside in the foothills year-round.

White-crowned Sparrow - Bewick's Wren

 Zonotrichia leucophrys - Thryomanes bewickii

Bewick's Wrens can usually be found in dense, brushy thickets, foraging on the ground in search of arthropods and their larvae. We heard their lovely trilling calls throughout the day. They usually live year-round in the foothills.

Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos

Though not numerous, we saw and heard several Northern Mockingbirds in the Preserve. They are commonly seen in the Central Valley and foothills. Their name means "many tongues" as they are proficient mimics! During a lifetime, a Northern Mockingbird may learn up to 150 songs! They will mimic other birds, as well as cats, dogs, crickets, squeaky gates, toad, and frogs! In winter they mainly eat wild berries and fruit, such as rose hips. The rest of the year, they mainly eat arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans).

Horseshoe Pond

We ate our lunch at Horseshoe Pond, in the shade of the trees. It was so peaceful! It was in this area that we saw the Lewis's Woodpeckers! We also saw a large group of ducks that took off too quickly to photograph or identify, as well as a pair of Mallards! 

Mallards (female - male) - Annas platyrhynchos

It was amazing how camouflaged the female Mallard was against the dry tules!

Miner's Lettuce - Western Buttercups

Claytonia perfoliata - Ranunculus occidentalus 

We did see a few wildflowers in bloom. Except for the Buttercups, they were very tiny flowers. For the most part, it was mainly green grasses covering the ground.

Persian Speedwell - Shepherd's Purse

Veronica persica - Capsella bursa-pastoris

 

View of the Sutter Buttes

 Spenceville is an 11,213 acre wildlife preserve and recreation area run by the California State Department of Fish and Game, at approximately 338' in elevation. There are several different parcels within the preserve.

The Friends of Spenceville website, spenceville.org, states, "It is a place of gentle rolling hills and large, sheltering oaks that spread their branches over trails that meander across creeks and through grassy meadows of spring wildflowers. When March arrives, poppies, lupines, lilies and other wildflowers spread their color and fragrance over the hillsides and through riparian woodlands that provide habitat for many animals." 

We'll have to go back again in a few weeks for the wildflower bloom!

Whiteleaf Manzanita - Arctostaphylos viscida

Neighborhood News: 

Early Bloomers!!!

Every year the Manzanitas bloom in February/March in this one area along Highway 49, near my neighborhood. I was delighted to see the blossoms as well as a hummingbird, honey bees, bumblebees, tiny unknown native bees, and Robber Flies all feeding on the flowers!

Greenleaf Manzanita - Whiteleaf Manzanita

Arctostaphylos patula - Arctostaphylos viscida

Alder and Willow in bud

Alnus incana - Salix sp.

The Willows and Alders are once again in bloom! The male and female pussy willows, and the long male catkins of the alders add subtle beauty and color to the gray, late winter vegetation.

 Townsend's Warbler - Red-breasted Nuthatch  

Dendroica townsendii - Sitta canadensis

Surprising Sightings!!!

To my delight I saw a small flock of Townsend's Warblers this week, in our area!  I had never seen one before!  Apparently they only pass through the Sierras on the way to their breeding grounds in western Canada and southern Alaska. How cool!

I also saw a small flock of Red-breasted Sapsuckers nearby! They don't nest in our area, but do nest up in the Lakes Basin. They are small in size, approximately 5" in length, with wingspans of approximately 8". While searching for insects, the Red-breasted Nuthatch climbs, up, down and sideways on tree trunks.

American Dipper nest 2/21/25 and 2/22/25 - Cinclus mexicanus

To my complete surprise, the American  Dippers are already building their nest! In the past they've built their nest, in this same spot, near the end of March or beginning of April!

American Dipper nest with Dipper!  2/24/25 

I'll keep watching them and report back to you how this early nesting progresses!

California Tortoiseshell - Nymphalis californica

Since the weather was in the 60's these past two weeks, insects have become active. Most notably are the California Tortoiseshell Butterflies! These butterflies overwinter as adults and are ready to fly as soon as the temperature is right.

The group in the above photo are "puddling". Puddling is a behavior many butterflies (and a few moths) engage in. Puddling sites can be any of a number of places: mud, dung, fermenting fruit, carrion, urine. Butterflies are attracted to these sites because they can sip up the salt (sodium) and minerals found there.

Orbweaver Spider web

Additionally, there were lots of spider webs showing up in the vegetation!

Sierra Buttes  2/22/25

We drove up to see the Sierra Buttes last Sunday, since the roads were bare. There was only about 4-5" of patchy snow at the 5,500' elevation. The Sierra Buttes were much snowier, at 7,000'-8,000' in elevation. Yuba Pass at 6,709' in elevation had approximately 5' of snow on the ground. So not as much as we would like for a snowpack, but winter isn't over yet. In fact, this week the forecast is for more rain and snow!

Where are the mammals?

What will the weather bring?

Check back in two weeks for the answers to these questions and more!

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks from now on. Check back in two weeks, on March, 16th for my next natural history blog.

Also, check out my latest post on my newly re-opened Damp Earth Blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com